DLA News Archive

June 15, 2026

Campaigning to Win: DLA Exercises to Sustain the Joint & Combined Force

Training to achieve mission success through the threats posed by our most capable strategic competitors and testing that training in realistic exercises integrated with Joint and Service headquarters is key to Agency readiness. By transforming through exercise campaigning, DLA is building the culture and capabilities to sustain a war-winning Joint force during large scale combat operations.

June 15, 2026

U.S. Military Footprint in the USSOUTHCOM AOR: WWII–Cold War Posture and Modern Sustainment Implications

The Caribbean Basin region, containing land in both Central America and Northern South America, has long been strategically important to the United States. In order to protect its interests in the region, the U.S. has historically maintained a strong military presence in the basin, sustaining this presence by building a resilient logistics network that adapted its posture to fit the current operating environment.

June 15, 2026

Logistics Posture as Deterrence: The Role of Distribution Networks in Homeland Defense

The Joint Force can no longer assume uncontested sustainment. As laid out in the Department of War’s 2026 National Defense Strategy, homeland defense is the top priority of the United States, requiring critical infrastructure and population protection, as well as the ability to generate, project and sustain combat power.

March 19, 2026

Beyond factory to foxhole: DLA transforms for a contested future

For decades, the U.S. military’s logistics system prioritized global efficiency, cost savings, and reliable throughput, fostering a culture of centralized stockpiling at large, fixed supply depots. As a result, this system is dangerously inadequate for confronting emerging global threats, particularly from the People Republic of China (PRC) in the Indo-Pacific theater. Today, logistics functions are no longer relegated to rear area support; logistics has become the "central front" in great power competition.

March 19, 2026

Internet of behavior and digital dust: Implications for supply chain security and mission assurance

Moving can be a stressful event. Whether you have moved once or several times, it is an event that upends the lives of the entire family. SSG Alex Kallus, an Army logistics NCO, had just received orders to PCS (Permanent Change of Station) from Fort Novosel, AL, to his new joint assignment in DLA at Fort Belvoir, VA. His spouse, Kay, and their two kids were ready for the move and were busily making plans for the new location. As any military family knows, PCS moves meant chaos, checklists, and lots of internet searches.

March 19, 2026

REFORPAC 2025 and the friction of distribution: Stress-testing agile combat employment logistics

The United States’ strategic engagement in the Indo-Pacific was forged in the crucible of the World War II. In that campaign, General Douglas MacArthur operationalized “island hopping”—the sequential seizure and development of forward operating bases to project combat power across vast maritime distances.1 This approach proved decisive in the Pacific theater and established a foundational insight that endures today: in the Indo-Pacific, geography rewards dispersion, and logistics determines whether operational concepts succeed or fail. That logic underpins contemporary concepts such as Agile Combat Employment (ACE).

March 19, 2026

Transforming defense logistics planning: Leveraging machine learning for enhanced warfighter readiness

The recent war in Ukraine has underscored the importance of logistical planning. In a 2023 study, RAND noted that “Russia’s failures in the war with Ukraine were due to poor planning”. Seeing these missteps and recognizing the critical importance of logistics, US Army Pacific named it as one of its four core “Interior Lines” that must be met to achieve its 2025 posture plan. The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), the Department of Defense’s (DOD) combat support supply chain organization, will be a key piece in achieving these plans. Because of this importance, DLA’s way of material planning needs to evolve.

Feb. 18, 2026

Fuel Afloat Concept Expands Operational Resiliency for Joint Petroleum Distribution

FORT BELVOIR, Va. — In today’s contested logistics environment, the Defense Logistics Agency is focused on improving the resilience and flexibility of the fuel enterprise supporting joint operations. As global demands increase, DLA Energy is demonstrating new ways to deliver fuel where and when it’s needed most.

Jan. 6, 2026

Uniform design standardization offers potential supply chain solutions

FORT BELVOIR, Va. — The Campaign of Learning white paper, “Uniform Design Standardization,” authored by Andrew Strohmetz of DLA Troop Support, examines how streamlining uniform designs across all military services can reinforce the U.S. defense supply chain.

Dec. 22, 2025

Modern contested logistics truths drive joint logistics approaches

FORT BELVOIR, Va. — The Campaign of Learning burst paper, “The Joint Logistics Enterprise’s Modern Contested Logistics Truths,” authored by DLA Director Army Lt. Gen. Mark Simerly and Leighann Martin, explores how updating “logistics truths” is critical for meeting the demands of today’s complex military environment.